Credit union foundation grants schools funds

The 100% For Kids Credit Union Education Foundation awarded $9,822 to three schools in Carbon County School District in June.

Petersen Elementary was awarded $4,621 for summer literacy tubs. According to the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills assessment that was conducted three times this past year, about 73 percent of students at Petersen Elementary did not make benchmark for fluency. During the year, teachers focused on reading success where students were encouraged and taught to achieve the benchmark in oral reading fluency.

With the help of the foundation, Petersen Elementary teachers will be able to achieve the gap among poor and struggling readers. The literacy tubs will offer books to homes where students can have independent and instructional reading based on a wide array of titles and levels. The tubs also allow teachers to implement a system that monitors and gauges student responsibility for their reading progress. Each student who receives a tub will receive visits from the principal and the reading coach throughout the summer and offer suggestions to improve and encourage students to continue to progress.

Creekview Elementary received $2,800 that will be used during the upcoming school year to purchase a smart board that will be specifically used to allow classes to view and listen to stories created by other students. This technology will also allow students to play hands-on math and literacy games. According to the National Center for Education Statistics 66 percent of teachers use computers on a daily basis for classroom instruction. Studies show that technology can be very beneficial and increase productivity.

"We would use the smart board as a hands-on math and literacy learning center, but the thing I am most excited about is making class books," said Amy Campbell, a kindergarten teacher at Creekview. "It would be awesome to have my class draw pictures and write a sentence in the paint program and then view it as a class through the use of the smart board."

Wellington Elementary received a $2,401 grant to purchase microscopes that will allow them to gain knowledge and understand the natural world. According to the science state core, students should be able to observe, inquire, question, develop formulas, test hypotheses, analyze data, report and evaluate findings.

"Good science instruction requires hands-on science investigations in which student inquiry is the goal," said Melanie Huff, a sixth grade teacher at Wellington. "Sixth graders should be able to look into the world of microorganisms, be able to perform experiments with the technology that is given to them and should come to enjoy science as a process of discovering the natural world."